Overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system is a hallmark sign of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. People with CKD often have impaired sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity—a measure of how well the baroreflex system regulates blood pressure changes. This may contribute to sympathetic nervous system overactivation and related problems, according to researchers from Vitam—Research Center Health Durable in Canada.

Their work, titled “Impaired neurocirculatory control in chronic kidney disease: New evidence for blunted sympathetic baroreflex and reduced sympathetic transduction,” is published in the journal Function,

In addition, individuals with CKD have reduced sympathetic transduction, which may counteract the vascular effects of sympathetic nervous system overactivation. Sympathetic transduction is the process of converting sympathetic nerve activity into blood pressure and vascular responses.

“Whether sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity is impaired or intact in CKD remains under-studied and controversial,” the research team wrote. “Furthermore, the downstream effect of (sympathetic nervous system) activation on blood pressure transduction has not been previously examined in CKD.”